How to Print Emails to PDF in Outlook and Gmail for iOS
Anyway, it's pretty easy to convert PDF emails to your iPhone and iPad. And the ability to do this is not limited to the native email application.
If you use Outlook or Gmail as the default email client on the iPhone or iPad, here's how to save or print a PDF email.
Outlook for iOS
Outlook for iOS is one of the best third-party email clients for iPhone and iPad. It has a multitude of features, integrates a calendar integration and even provides a dedicated dark mode. It also allows you to print your emails in PDF format.
However, you will not find any Save as PDF or Print as PDF options in the application. But that does not mean that iOS does not support the ability to print to PDF. This requires the use of a certain gesture, as you will see below.
Step 1: Open the e-mail message that you want to convert. When loading is complete, tap the three-dot icon located in the upper right corner of the screen. Follow up by pressing Print Conversation.
2nd step: Zoom out on any of the generated thumbnails in the Printer Options screen. This will convert the email to PDF immediately.
Point: Use the Range option to determine which pages (which can be viewed as thumbnails) will be "printed" on the PDF file.
Tap the Share icon in the upper right corner of the PDF preview screen to continue.
Step 3: Share the PDF file with a third-party application or save it locally with the Save As File option.
It is recommended to save locally in the Files application, as you will always have a local copy of the PDF file, which you can then share, annotate, rename, and so on. very easily. See our Files application guide for tips and tricks on effective local file management.
Gmail for iOS
Gmail for iOS is another great third-party email client for iPhone and iPad. Although not as versatile as its Android counterpart, you can still use it, especially on the iPad, thanks to its support for several keyboard shortcuts. And as with Outlook for iOS, you can easily save or print any email in PDF format.
Step 1: Open the email that you want to save as a PDF file. Then, tap the three-dot icon next to the Reply icon. In the menu that appears, tap Print.
2nd step: Press AirPrint to continue. On the Printer Options screen, zoom out on any of the thumbnails listed to convert the email to PDF.
Step 3: Tap the Share option in the PDF preview screen, and then share the converted email into a third-party application or save it to the Files application.
Once again, using the Save As File option to save the PDF file locally will give you access to a permanent copy of the file.
Mail App
If you like native apps, the integrated Mail app on your iPhone and iPad is a decent email client. It is polished and well optimized to run on your iOS device, and incorporates full integration with the dark mode feature at system scale. Converting all the emails you receive on the Mail application to PDF is extremely easy and looks like what you have described previously with Outlook and Gmail.
Step 1: Open an email, then tap the Reply icon in the lower right corner of the screen. In the menu that appears, tap Print.
2nd step: Zoom out on a thumbnail in the Print Options screen. This should convert the e-mail to PDF automatically.
Tap the Share icon in the PDF preview window to share the PDF file directly or to save it locally. Repeat for all other emails you want to convert.
Email in PDF can be useful
Converting emails to PDF with Outlook for iOS, Gmail for iOS or the native email application is extremely easy. You can also do the same thing on any other email client you use, be it Spark, Airmail or Edison Mail, using the same "Print" gesture in the Print Options screen, as long as you can find the option Print.
But what's the problem with Apple hiding such a valuable option in the form of a gesture? I guess nobody knows it. Hopefully Apple will make the feature less obscure in future iOS updates.
Then: Want to convert web pages you encounter as PDF files to your iPhone or iPad? Here's how to do it when using Chrome for iOS.